Viable
by Diazra
Summary: WIKTT Surrogate Mother Challenge. Severus Snape's wealthy family is victim of a curse. He must produce an heir. Hermione is a healer at the now tragically under funded St. Mungos hospital. on hold
1. An Akward Exchange

A/N: Apparently this chapter is never quite right! LOL! It had been corrected in a few places once again. Thanks goes out to reviewers and all three of my beta's Athena, Lori and most especially GinnyW who I have sent a thousand emails to that always seem to come back five minutes later.

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A _sense of humor_ that is what old Solarius Snape had. It was Solarius' binding, but it was bound in blood. In Snape blood.

Each Snape was to take part in ensuring the Snape name and blood be passed on. They are bound as are many other pureblood families. It didn't matter which member of the Snape family produced the next generation, but the next generation would have to continue or every living Snape would pay dearly with their life and in many cases their soul.

It was not as if there was any need to continue the Snape line. They had all been lying, murderous, pureblood old cranks anyway. Better that it ends with himself he had always thought. The money could go to the poor. If it had only been an option his family could live with.

Severus Snape loved his sister. Grudgingly, he had to admit he also loved his mother. Nobody spoke of his father.

And so it was that Severus Snape, learned master of potions, found himself in his study during the early morning hours. There was a large mug of coffee in his right hand and a scholarly journal of arithmancy in his lap.

_You are avoiding it old boy. You had better find out_.

The damage that the Cruciatus Curse can do to the human body is inconceivable. One can never know exactly what organs have been ruined. For some the stomach ulcers can become so excruciating that continued exposure can cause a person to feed from a tube for the rest of their days. The mind is what suffers for others; the Longbottoms could pay fine testament to that.

But Severus' concerns lied with another member of his anatomy.

Could he have viable offspring?

Rising from his leather seat and bringing his coffee with him, Severus sat down at his desk.

_Requesting an appointment with the resident family planning specialist at St. Mungo's Hospital as soon as possible. Attatched is a referral from resident Mediwitch Poppy Pomfrey from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry._

_Professor Severus Snape _

* * *

Three weeks later

"He didn't!" Sitting with her legs crossed on the locker room bench Hermione nearly spat out her apple.

"I am not even kidding you," Ginny laughed, "And when dad got home she sat everyone down at the table and said in near tears 'Arthur our first-born son has knocked up a bloody Muggle!' Oh Hermione! I have never seen mum in such a fit. All of the boys were so uncomfortable."

Bill had sent an Owl on his father's birthday to tell his family that grandchild number five was on the way. Needless to say Molly Weasley did not take the news of his unwed son having a baby all that well.

A lot had changed over the years. Ginny and Harry had been married. After they had both finished their education Ginny gave birth to a set of twins with blazing red hair. They had been dubbed Lily and Molly, after both grandmothers respectively. Fred and George had, of course, opened a joke shop and proved to be enthusiastic and excellent babysitters.

Charlie was still the same old guy. He had proven to be something of a devoted bachelor. He was still very kind and warm.

The youngest of the Weasley boys had excelled in his position at the ministry. Ronald Weasley was now the best detective in The Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Percy was a defense attorney.

Percy was a defense attorney. He had married an older Ravenclaw girl. They now had two young boys and didn't visit often.

Hermione had done well for herself too. She was now a very competent fertility and child-birth specialist at St. Mungo's Hospital.

Ginny had also demonstrated her intelligence was the assistant administrator of the hospital. It was an exceptionally difficult job, especially considering the economic climate of the country. Many cutbacks had been pushed down the line to her. Over the last year, many long term patients had been forced out onto their families. The Longbottoms were included.

Hermione looked over at Ginny. The air had become a lot more serious. The hospital had been forced to send away five patients today and the shift was only half over. Not enough beds used to be the problem. Nowadays syringes, medication and staff had been cut back so heavily that women who gave birth were being sent home, not the next day, but the next hour in a magical taxi.

One of the ladies sent home today had been told she would be waiting three months for removal of a benign, however uncomfortable, tumor in her leg. A mother with immediate and awful postpartum depression and her yellow colicky baby were sent home. Luckily, she was a pureblood woman, who could afford to hire a wet-nurse and had two house-elves and a husband on hand.

There was no time. Almost everyone admitted to the hospital was an exceptionally rich patron or in critical condition.

"Something has to be done, Gin. We are both lucky we even have jobs."

"What could we do? There is only one hospital for all of Wizarding England and we can't even find the money to run it properly. There is no interest in the field anymore. We don't have the money to import foreign Healers. We can hardly keep our own. It will get better eventually. It has to. Meanwhile I think we have both taken a long enough break."

Nodding Hermione stood and tossed her apple core into the small tin garbage can in the corner. She told Ginny she would see her later and washed her hands before returning to work.

At the reception desk of the fertility and maternity floor Hermione picked up her chart and went over it with her pencil.

_This is too much,_ she thought looking down at her chart.

"Professor Snape is waiting in room number three?" She asked.

"Yes, Healer Granger."

"Are these the results of his sample?" Hermione asked, flipping the next page of her chart.

"Yes, they came back from the lab a few moments ago. He's been waiting for the better half of an hour. He doesn't seem pleased."

"I'm sure you're right." This would be far too much fun.

Straightening her clothes and hair, she entered room number three.

"It is no wonder I have been kept waiting for such a ridiculous period. Miss Granger, do you not feel it slightly unethical that you are now involved in a very personal matter of your former professor's health?" Snape sneered in a very displeased tone when he saw the once bushy-haired Gryffindor know-it-all enter the room.

Hermione smiled, keeping her calm and sitting down on a stool and reviewing the chart again quickly. She was a professional and, after all, she was not the one presently adorned in a paper nightdress. She had to admit to that the teal set off his raven hair and prominent nose.

"Professor Snape, it is lovely to see you again! I should remind you I am no longer Miss Granger, but Healer Granger."

"Of course."

"Now to address your ethical concerns: I am afraid I happen to be the only person on staff in all of England that can help you with this problem. Government funding has been cutback and as such we are hardly functioning. You are quite lucky we ensure time for our most generous patrons such as yourself and lovely mother. I do have the option of referring internationally. If you like I can refer you to Healer Plommer at the Regal Inland in Paris. I hear he is on vacation right now, but he should be back sometime in the next month. He tells me Jamaica is lovely this time of year."

He shifted, though not uncomfortably. "This situation will have to suffice, so long as it is a level of professionalism you are capable of."

"It certainly is, sir."

Hermione herself did not smile but she was beaming inside. He was squirming. He was trying to make is seem as though he was concerned for her discomfort and not his own. Sipping at a glass of water she took a deep breath.

"Now professor, the situation indicated by the sample is very common. You are manufacturing semen and seminal fluid. I am going to have to ask you some questions although I am quite certain I know where your problem lies."

He nodded.

"Are you having difficulty urinating?"

Severus thought he would die of humiliation at the sheer injustice of such a question. He glared and answered her with nothing more than a half nod.

"And exactly how long has this been a problem?"

Forcing himself to unclench his teeth, he bit out his answer, "Since birth."

"And for how long has there been blood in your urine and seminal fluid?"

"Since before Potter," he jabbed.

Hermione nodded and went on, "Now, Professor Snape, it is very likely that you suffer from a condition called hypospadias. This means that the urinary opening, or urethral meatus, lies farther back on the bottom of the shaft. This by itself is not a significant problem, and surgery is only recommended if it is difficult to deposit semen into the vagina, or if it is difficult to urinate. There are many degrees of hypospadias, beginning from just below the tip of the penis, to well back to the base of the scrotum."1

Taking a deep breath, Hermione continued, "Your condition would be quite operable if not for the complication of the bleeding. I will have to run some tests but I suspect that there has been some damage to the urethra. It could be from infection or perhaps even involuntary and violent muscle contractions."

He nodded.

"I am about to ask you some more personal questions sir, and your cooperation would be appreciated."

Ha! He wondered, how this woman could ask a question any more personal than the ones she was already asking. Amused he sneered and muttered,"whatever."

"Well, Professor, there are a few ways this kind of damage can occur in our world. And this is most important. Have you had regular anal intercourse at any point in your life?"

He shook his head no.

Hermione knew she had better explain anyway. She had never had a man admit to her that he had had anal intercourse. Perhaps it was just the traditionalist homophobia in the Wizarding world. But it was her practice to explain whether they answered yes or no. "That type of intercourse can cause severe infections if unprotected or uneducated. Those infections if not looked after can be quite damaging. If that were something a person was involved in they would want to buy a book on the sub-"

"Miss Granger, I see now why you have chosen the profession you did. You get to explain things to people for a living. While I appreciate your demonstration of know-it-all-ism could you please get on with it? I have indicated that this information is not applicable to me. I assure you that I am a very busy man."

A miniature Hermione inside of her skull shrieked in frustration. She just needed to get through this and everything would be ok. She was so embarrassed!

"Pardon me Professor. This will likely be my last question. You have been victim to repeated exposure to the Cruciatus Curse?"

"Yes."

"And the blood in your fluid was more noticeable after these bouts of Cruciatus?"

"Yes."

"Professor, this is likely to have caused your urethra to partially collapse and narrow. I can check this now with a charm or schedule a referral if this kind of contact makes you uncomfortable."

He looked miserable and a lot like a gothic teenager stripped of his pride in his teal paper nightdress. "Let's get it over with."

"You will only feel a slight pinch," the healer said, rising from her stool. "Can you lie on your back and put your feet on the stirrups please."

The Potions professor complied.

The patients and Mediwitches in the halls heart a very loud scream coming from room number three.

After a few excruciating minutes it was over with.

"It is of concern to you that you have a child?" Hermione asked surprised after she had finished the examination and allowed her professor to dress so as to make him a little more comfortable.

"Yes, an heir is of concern to me. What options do I have left in your professional opinion?" He asked sipping at the water glass she had given him to calm down.

"Well, Professor, I can give you a potion to lessen the difficulty when you urinate, but it is unlikely you will ever be able to have an heir by intercourse."

"Healer Granger, there must be a Snape heir. As you are likely aware many pureblood families have no choice but to die suffering or reproduce. My sister is sterile. She was born with Trisomy 21. There must be another option." He had feared that this would be the outcome. Standing he began to collect his things and leave the room.

"Well, you are not sterile, you still produce viable semen. You do have options, Professor."

He paused, giving her his attention

"There are some Muggle techniques which could prove helpful."

"Such as?"

"You could have an embryo implanted into your partner's uterus. If you have no partner, you could hire a surrogate mother."

Surrogate mothers in the magical world were not the same as surrogate mothers in the Muggle world. Surrogate mothers in the magical kingdom were career surrogates. They conceived through intercourse, had the baby and were sent away. They were generally quite unsavory women. The kind often hired as entertainment.

"Is it dangerous at all?"

"Oh no! It is just as safe as a regular pregnancy. Sometimes conception is a problem, but there are usually five or six embryos used to give it a better chance. Now it is likely because of the pureblood nature of your family that you could consider a Muggle surrogate to give some genetic variation. If Trisomy 21, or as Muggles refer to it Down syndrome, has already affected your immediate family, it is likely that should you stay away from the pureblood gene pool. Although it may be less likely to have a magical child with a Muggle or even a Muggleborn, the child is far more likely to be healthy. I generally do not recommend any of the Wizarding surrogate agencies. The tradition in this world is somewhat more shady and of a very different nature."

"I do not approve of using a Muggle and neither would my family."

An older woman peeked her head in the room looking very frantic and seemingly trying to whisper. "Healer Granger, we have a very difficult birth. We are going to need to do a caesarian in the next few minutes. But there are no beds! And there is not one operating table!"

"I understand," she said to the woman. "Perhaps there is a friend or acquaintance you could consider, sir. Good day." She nodded to him with such sadness in her eyes that he almost felt sorry for her and the ugliness the hospital staff was dealing with.

While walking out of the hospital Severus saw line-up after line-up. The halls were crowded with sick babies, the elderly and many people who looked as though they were carrying the world on their shoulders. Some of these people looked like they had Pnemonia, and he swore he saw a whole family in the waiting room coughing into bloody handkerchiefs.

TBC

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A/N: Thanks for reading and reviewing! Writing has become such a treat! 


	2. In The Dark

A/N: A huge thank you goes out to all who reviewed, most changes have been made. Huge thank you to GinnyW for her help. Read her surrogate fic on Ashwinder entitled "To Beget An Heir." It's really well done. Thank you also goes out to my other two betas Athena and Lori who make dreams come true!

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The moon over the next evening was the thinnest crescent. There were no clouds in the sky, and the stars seemed to be closing in on the earth. Severus noticed this sky. He remembered _this_ sky. This was what the sky looked like the night of the final battle. The night the sky fell down.

When Severus had returned to the quarters, the headmaster had come calling.

"I brought you some books and a contact sheet, Severus. There is one Muggle phone number there for an agency," the old wizard said as he entered into the sitting room.

Severus uttered a quick thank you and sat down in his leather chair. He gestured to the leather sofa on his right. Albus sat down and snapped himself some tea and maple biscuits. Severus continued to look over the list of contacts.

"I do not believe I will be contacting a Muggle agency. I want to be sure that my child is magical. I read earlier that it decreases the chances greatly."

"I understand Healer Granger is in good health?"

"She is as bushy and busy-bodied as usual."

"And the hospital, is it as bad as I hear?"

Severus sighed and set down the parchment. The old man was determined to have a conversation with him. "Yes the line-ups are excruciating."

"I see. Ginvera Weasley must have her hands full."

"I did not see the Weasley girl, but I would imagine hospital administration is not a pleasant job these days." Severus stood and walked over to his liquor cabinet and removed and expensive crystal cognac decanter.

"I have applied to the board of governors to donate a number of house-elves for a period of time." Dumbledore sipped his tea. "I am confident they will not object."

The Potions professor nodded, not knowing what to say. He didn't handle the family estate. It was his, but his mother took care of the donations and real estate.

The two men sat in silence staring into space.

"Perhaps you should try and find a lover, Severus," Albus said while finishing his tea. "You will need someone to care for the child once it is born."

"Thank you, Headmaster. If you don't mind, I have some work to do," Severus said, trying to mask his annoyance at having to share his problems with more than one Gryffindor in the last 24 hours. He felt his predicament quite embarrassing and was in no mood to share with _the class_.

"Ahh. If you are in need of any council I am happy to assist at any point in time. Good evening Severus."

The potions professor was alone to begin writing correspondence to various agencies.

* * *

In the dark of the night, Ginny Weasley looked over the accountant's numbers at her desk. She had a meeting on Tuesday with one of the most generous patrons.

Harry came up behind her and began to massage her shoulders.

She instantly melted into him.

"Relax, Gin."

Turning, she looked at her husband and rubbed her eyes, "There is a flu epidemic going around. There are so many people with high fevers. It is going to kill us!" She groaned with her face in her hands. "The Hogwarts' house-elves will pick up some of the slack if we can get them, but what we really need is more beds and staff. The only thing holding the place together is magic."

She began rubbing her temples with her fingers again. This was more stress than she could cope with. "The hospital is starting to remind me of The Burrow, Harry! We need a new wing! We can hardly handle this baby boom! The ward is full right now! I don't know where we would put them!"

"I know, Gin, I know." He turned her around and continued to rub her shoulders. "Relax, come to bed," he whispered.

She smiled. "That is a wonderful idea."

* * *

At long last there was peace. Hermione had worked eighteen hours. Soaking in her tub was just the right pace for now.

She always found it odd that she handled complicated pregnancies. Hermione had never been pregnant. She didn't know what it was like to have something growing inside of her. It must be an incredible miracle.

That was probably not something she would ever experience. She had chosen a career and in this day and age she would never have time. No time for love, no time for marriage and no time for babies. She would just have to be content to absorb the pregnant glow from her patients.

An odd thing happened while these thoughts went around in her head, she began to cry. The hormonal pull to motherhood was very strong. She was, after all thirty.

Last Easter, Hermione had visited her Grandmother in Surrey. It was the family tradition to have tea and coffee after mass. The men would leave to play a game of golf and the women would visit and cook. Her cousin Sydney had brought her three month old baby.

The baby was passed around to all the women and inspected. It was the competitive mother edge, each wanted to see if that baby was prettier, or healthier, or blonder, or more blue eyed, or more smiley than the ones they had given birth to.

When it came Hermione's turn to hold the baby her mother had taken the baby away right away. "You shouldn't hold a baby at your age Hermione. It can be dangerous. You will want to saddle up with a man and quit your job!"

It was meant to be a joke, and everyone laughed, but Hermione knew she was right. She had chosen her career. It was hard to deliver babies everyday and not want one.

As fate would have it reality had an agenda, and Hermione heard the doorbell ring. Then it rang again. And again, until she ran to the front door in her bathrobe and flung the door open.

"Neville! Luna! What's wrong?" Hermione gasped at the very frantic looking Longbottoms.

"Hermione! I am so glad! We need help! Luna is having contractions. We went to the hospital, but they stopped us when we got there. They said it was a false alarm, but she is having them again and this time her water broke."

Hermione took Luna's other arm. "How far apart are her contractions?" she asked helping them into the house.

"They seem to be about every six minutes."

She threw a clean sheet over her bed and propped Luna up on some pillows.

"Neville, I need you to Floo the Hospital! The red Floo powder is on the mantle."

Luna screamed in pain.

"Oh God, Hermione, is she going to be ok?" Neville looked frightened.

"Neville, I know you are afraid, but you have to do what I say. I don't know how much time we have. She could be quite dilated already, I don't know, but she is going to have to go the hospital at some point. I can deliver this baby, but she is going to need to recover somewhere. Floo the hospital and tell them to send some help, if they can."

Hermione knew there was no point in going to the hospital for this birth yet. She was competent enough, besides there was a bed here. God only knew if there were any beds or staff at the hospital ready for this.

Luna was thrashing about in pain and whimpering, "It's coming! It's coming!"

Hermione sat down on the bed. "Luna, you need to look at me."

Luna looked at her, eyes red with pain.

"I am going to see how dilated you are. I am going to take off your pants and underwear. Resist the urge to push for now ok?"

Hermione removed her pants and underwear. Luna looked embarrassed for a moment.

"Luna, there is no reason to feel embarrassed. It happens to everyone, and it just wipes away, ok?" Hermione reached to her desk for the baby wipes Ginny had left behind the other day and cleaned Luna up. Hermione cast an ultrasound spell to see the baby's positioning. Her heartbeat increased tenfold.

Neville returned from the living room. "Hermione, I can't get through, all the operators are busy. How is she doing?"

"She is at about seven centimeters. It is ideal to wait for ten. Stay with her, and tell her not to push. Call me if you get worried or she starts pushing on her own. I need to get some things. I will only be a moment." With that Hermione took off into the kitchen and bathroom.

The baby was breach. She could hardly digest what was happening. She charmed some water hot, grabbed some clean white towels, sterilized her scissors, and grabbed a few other things before she heard Luna screaming again.

"Luna, I need you to look at me," Hermione said when she entered the room again. "We have to wait a few more minutes. The baby is breach. That means it is not going to come head first. Do not push or bear down at all yet, you could hurt yourself. We do not have time to get to the hospital; we have to do it here."

At that point Hermione felt like an idiot. Why hadn't she cast a pain spell yet? Poor Luna must be dying over there. Hermione's head was not in the right place to be doing this right now. She needed help. Then it hit her. "Neville, Floo Hogwarts! Get Madame Pomfrey over here now!"

There was no response.

"Neville? Neville?" Hermione looked over and saw Neville passed out on the floor. She set Neville up against the wall "Oh great! I will be right back, Luna. I need you to do your breathing counts."

Hermione ran to the fireplace and dumped floo powder into the fire. "Hogwart's Hospital Wing!"

Hermione screamed into the fire, "Madame Pomfrey! Madame Pomfrey!"

A very tired, stern looking Mediwitch came to the fireplace. "Miss Granger? Whatever is the matter, you are interrupting my conversation with the Headmaster."

"Luna Longbottom is giving birth and the baby is breach, I need your help and some of your potions, come quickly. Blood replenisher, disinfectant and Pepperup. I also need a number 16 gauge IV and a preload of 1 liter of lactated ringers. Bring your wand! Try and find another hand."

"Oh my! Yes dear, go back to Luna, and keep the fire open, I will be there in as soon as I can."

Hermione went back to Luna. She was whimpering quietly.

"Luna, Madame Pomfrey is coming. We have to perform a caesarean. Everything is going to be alright." Hermione undressed Luna with her wand, leaving only her bra on and covered her with a sheet. She gave Luna a drop of antacid potion.

Not two minutes later, Poppy Pomfrey and Albus Dumbledore came through the fireplace. "I brought gloves, dear, here."

"I always love to see a baby born," Albus said smiling.

Hermione almost laughed at the image of the headmaster holding the new baby and offering it a lemon drop.

"Luna, we are going to give you an IV," Hermione explained.

"Hold her other hand, Albus, and keep note of her pulse," the Mediwitch ordered while taking her wrist and starting the IV.

Hermione put her hand on Luna's spine and whispered an incantation. It was an incantation she was not allowed to perform unless she was in the hospital, but she would deal with the repercussions later.

Madame Pomfrey eyed her, in disapproval.

"Ok, I have done a spinal, Luna. You won't feel a thing. I need you to keep your eyes on Albus. Stay relaxed and breathe."

Hermione conjured a force field around Luna's lower half, Madame Pomfrey, and herself. Nothing was allowed in or out, most importantly germs. Taking her wand the Medi-witch cast an X-ray spell so Hermione could see exactly where the baby was, where the arteries were and the depth of Luna's skin. She began to cut an incision in Luna's belly while Poppy slowed the bleeding with a charm.

When the incision was complete, Hermione set down her wand and gently eased the baby out and handed the baby to Poppy, who gently cleaned out his nostrils and gave him a tap. He began to cry and was wiped off and wrapped in a warm towel.

"Luna, you have a boy, all ten fingers and toes," announced the Mediwitch.

Hermione lifted out the placenta and weaved the incision closed. When it was complete the force field was taken down.

The birth had been completed in twenty minutes, and Luna was given some replenishing potions while she held her baby. Neville was still out cold when Luna dozed off to sleep.

She would be moved to Hogwarts in a few hours to be under Madame Pomfrey's watchful eye for a few days. There was no point in returning to St. Mungo's.

Albus held the baby with a twinkle in his eye. "They are treasures, aren't they? They possess the smallest of hands, the smallest of noses and the biggest of hearts." 

Hermione smiled and nodded, taking a sip of her coffee.

"Have you ever considered a child yourself, Miss Granger?" he asked, eyes glimmering.

Sighing she responded. "It has crossed my mind, Professor, but there is no time to settle down right now. I have been told by Ginny that it can change your whole point of view. From an educational standpoint it would be nice to have some more experience."

"Ah, I see. Parenthood was a journey I neglected to take in life also. Sometimes I feelremorseful of my decision."

"Albus, you have raised more children than anyone I know," she joked before finishing up the last bit off hot liquid in her mug..

TBC

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A/N: Thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoy! It's about midnight and I have a final in the morning so I don't know what else to type as far as author's notes go. Please review! I will be answering the reviews at the end of next chapter. Peace with you all! 


	3. Snape Manor

Thank you to all of my betas and all who reviewed! On with the story!

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After being up all night reading about pregnancy, Severus had made himself a list of things that were important in to him for finding the correct surrogate mother. The applicants sent by the agencies would be arriving at Snape Manor in the next few minutes.

His mother paced back and forth in the library, her judgmental air looming over him like a cloud. The present holiday season served to make her equally as cheerful as they made her son. She had read his list and was not pleased.

"Severus, I want you just to stop and consider my point of view. I feel as though everything I have taught you has gone in one ear and out the other. We must maintain our dignity through this. I will not tolerate a Mudblood running amuck with the Snape heir in her belly doing whatever she likes. She must at the very least be a half-blood. I will not raise the child of a Mudblood and we both know I will be the one doing the raising. I refuse. I will firmly refuse," she scolded.

"Cease your infernal fussing woman! This will be my decision," Severus bit out, not giving her any heed and further burying himself in the newspaper.

She sniffled, walking over to the stiff-backed chair facing the window and grasped her handkerchief. "Don't you need to listen to your mother anymore Severus? Or has all of your fancy education taught you everything you need to know?" she asked, reducing herself to sentimental tears.

He groaned. "Mother I will not have a great sobbing row just before the applicants arrive! I will take your opinion into account if you will just calm down and act respectable."

She was silent and straightened her posture. After a few moments she walked to the loveseat and helped herself to some tea.

They continued in silence.

Severus had always thought his mother manipulative. He had never had patience for it. She had always been a very giving woman. Her favorite subject at parties was the poor. She had never been much for the nonsense of discussing fashion and jewelry, although it had never been a worry for the Snapes.

His mother was always meticulous looking. Her burgundy robes. She was a trophy bride in her day. She was from a good pureblood English family and had grown up on the Italian coast. She had given birth to Severus very young and her dark raven hair and olive skin had dulled in the past years. Nevertheless, her beauty remained intact.

Her face was often without expression and Severus had always found that puzzling. It was as though her expression was stolen. An expression that reminded Severus of the dead.

The pop of a house elf resounded through the library.

"A Lynette Bordeau is here to see you sir," the house elf said.

"Show her in," Severus said waving his hand. He put down the newspaper and uncrossed his legs.

His mother beamed, "The Bordeau's are a very affluent family in France. Perhaps this will no be as bad as I once thought. Perhaps there could even be a little romance…" She sat up straight with a relaxed with a pleased smile on her face.

Severus felt something complain in the pit of his stomach.

"Lynette Bordeau to see you," the house-elf said, and then he was gone.

A very thin, very tall woman dressed in Muggle clothes entered the room. She smelled of cigarette smoke and cheap perfume. Her face was not youthful. She smiled and was missing some teeth.

"Miss Bordeau, please have a seat. Would you like some tea?"

"Yes, I would," she said standing to grab a cup. "Wow this is a nice place you have here. You guys must be filthy rich."

Madam Snape looked as though she would pass out with horror.

Severus felt much the same, but didn't show it, "Now, Miss Bordeau, why don't you tell me a little about yourself?"

"Oh," she said sitting down. "Well, me dad works at a Potions brewery in Scotland and me mum works at home."

"I see, and what is your lineage?" Snape asked.

She sighed and sipped at her tea before answering, "I may not be much for culture, sir, but my blood is as pure as anyone's."

"I see," he said. "Did you attend Hogwarts?"

"Oh no sir, I went to a vocational school in Ireland. Learned household charms and wife's duties. Learned real good how to take care of a baby. All the foods to eat and stuff. I went there for two years, and then I went to America. I wanted to see California. I got back just a year ago."

"Lovely," Snape said, feigning interest. "Now, I was just wondering about your family history, have there been any medical problems? Any heart disease or cancer?"

"No sir," she answered.

"Do you smoke?"

"Well, yes sir, but I could quit if I had to."

"And this would be your first child?"

"Well, no sir. I had one when I was still a teenager. It went up for adoption. That's how I know I can do this."

Severus had run out of questions to ask this girl. She was simply not right. He knew when she walked in the room that she wouldn't do, "Well that is all the time we have for today. We will contact the agency. Sim will show you out."

"Thank you, sir."

The house elf appeared in a cloud of smoke and showed the girl out.

Severus looked at his mother. He felt a sudden urge to laugh when he saw her face. It was an urge he had not felt in months.

* * *

The rest of the day had not gone much better.

The next girl to come in had been a second cousin to Severus on his Father's side. His mother had clapped joyfully and they had chatted about the family for half an hour before Severus explained his concern of Down Syndrome. Olive had left a bit put out, but on the whole cheerful after being promised lunch in London with Madam Snape next weekend.

The next applicant had not been well received by the lady of the house, as the girl was a Squib. _Old prejudices die hard_ Severus had thought. The girl was however, clean, unrelated and very polite and healthy looking. She was the front runner for now. Severus had hoped for a witch though.

"Fourteen is far too young to be carrying a child," his mother blurted out in the next interview. Severus had to agree. Fifty, the age of the last applicant, seemed quite old to be having a baby also. The woman was something of a surrogate veteran. She looked no healthier than the first woman and had also admitted to being diabetic.

Severus was not a man who accepted mediocrity. What he would have given for a reasonably intelligent witch with no addictions or health problems.

In the beginning, it had not occurred to him just how difficult of an undertaking this would be.

Suppertime came and went, in the evening Severus found himself in the library again reading while his sister painted. She had set up her easel next to the stiff-backed chair his mother had pouted in earlier.

She was quite talented, Severus had always thought.

"What is it that you painting Isabelle?" he asked.

"Trees," was her one-word response.

Isabelle didn't often say much of anything. It was not because she was stupid, as others thought. It was because she had a talent for only saying things that mattered. Severus had always respected that. People who needlessly flapped their gums annoyed him. In his opinion, there was entirely too much idle banter. There were too many things people said because it was expected of them; his mother was a perfect example.

Severus stood and wandered in her direction. He looked out the window. The blue and green flames set up as Christmas décor illuminated the estate, creating some of the most incredible shadows he had ever laid eyes upon. It nearly inspired him to pick up a brush and capture the scene himself.

The painting was incredible. The snow took on the color of the lights in such a vibrant way and its smooth contours well captured. In the painting the looming trees took on the appearance of being frightened by the flames as they were devoured by the pigment.

"It is magnificent," he praised.

She smiled, "The color is sad."

Isabelle had a way of saying incredibly profound things; whether she knew just how profound, Severus had to wonder.

A house-elf popped in at that moment.

"Madam would like a word in the parlor, Master," Sim said matter-of-factly before disappearing.

Sighing, Severus placed a kiss on his sister's hand, making her giggle, and walked to down through the manor to the parlor.

"Severus," she said, "Sit down." She had a glass of wine in her hand and some papers were spread out on the mahogany and glass coffee table.

He poured a glass of cognac and sat.

"I need you to sign these papers for the donations to the hospital. I have a meeting with the administrator tomorrow afternoon," she said.

Suddenly the donations were of interest to him, whereas before he would sign whatever his mother put in front of him. "What precisely are we donating?"

His mother eyed him oddly.

"I was at the hospital recently and saw the poor condition. I am only interested to know what we are doing to aid the situation."

Putting her spectacles on, she complied and read the list of things to be given to the hospital, "150,403 galleons, 11 sickles and 2 knuts to be paid out over 2 years as salary to five new doctors. 103,701 galleons, 14 sickles and 1 knut toward the building of a new wing, a house-elf from the chateau, and three from the vineyard in Spain and also the production rights to that fever potion you Great Uncle Selan invented. Most of this money was raised for the purpose of donation, though."

Severus nodded. That would help the hospital immensely. He dipped the tip of a quill in the ink jar and signed on the dotted line of the parchment. "If that will be all, I will excuse myself."

"Actually, I would like to talk some more about the interviews today."

"Not now Mother, it is late."

"Please listen to me," she said, "I think you should consider Olive as the surrogate mother. She is healthy and trustworthy and-"

"And my cousin," Severus interrupted. "I don't want there to be any complications with this child!"

"I understand your concern son, but we can't very well pick a fourteen-year-old. All the other applicants were repulsive at best."

Severus knew his mother was right, but he wasn't ready to give up yet, "We will find someone else! That is final. I want a witch with some intellect and until I find one there will be no child!"

She snorted, "Severus young witches with intellect nowadays have other jobs and families of their own. They are solicitors and businesspeople and accountants and professors and Healers. Think of the smartest witches you know. We have to settle-"

His mother was interrupted by a house-elf's pop, "Headmaster Dumbledore is here to see you, sir."

"We are occupied-" Madam Snape began to say.

"Show him in," Severus said firmly and then nodded to the house-elf.

There were a few times in his life Severus had been happy to see Albus, this was one of them.

"Hello Madam Snape, Severus. I trust I am finding you in good health. I am just calling to wish you a Happy Christmas; I hope I am not interrupting anything. I had some presents I was hoping to bring by…" he smiled. He blew on some crumbs which he had taken from his pocket and they turned into full-sized Christmas gifts.

"Cognac, Albus?"

The headmaster shook his head, "No thank you, but I would enjoy a glass of sherry. Sherry is much more my speed."

Harriet Snape smiled her sweetest smile, "Thank you for the gifts Headmaster, that was very kind of you. Please have a seat, Severus and I were just having a discussion-"

"We were having a discussion about the hospital," Severus interrupted. He was sick of talking about the surrogates. He also wanted to save his mother from sticking her foot in her mouth.

"Ah yes the hospital! The Board of Governors approved my donation today," The elderly Wizard said. "It was much needed, last night Luna Longbottom gave birth at the Granger residence. It was quite a difficult birth, but the Longbottom baby was delivered healthy. Poppy and I were there to assist Miss Granger."

"Ah! Neville Longbottom, I hope his child takes after his mother. She was a bit odd, but competent nonetheless." The Potions master sneered as he handed Albus his drink and sat down again.

"Actually, Miss Granger, and I spent some time admiring the boy and both came to the conclusion that he looked much like his Grandfather," Albus savored the first sip of his drink. "Miss Granger is quite an exceptional Healer and she has made a very lovely home. It's a wonder she doesn't feel lonely in a house that size."

"Yes she is no doubt ready to settle down with the Weasley boy and have lots of babies," He said with a look nobody could quite read.

Albus was smiling inside. "She expressed a desire to have children, but only from an educational standpoint. As for Ronald, he is currently seeing Nymphadora Tonks and I believe they are making plans; as it were."

Severus wanted to laugh about Tonks and her taste for youth, but then something clicked in his brain. "Mother, I will be taking the donation contract to the hospital tomorrow."

Albus knew exactly why.

TBC

* * *

Thanks again to betas and reviewers! In the next chapter Hermione must deal with repercussions that help Snape get a foot in the door. JUICY! Please continue to review. At some point when I have more time I will respond to them all! 


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